Arcadia Publishing
Encyclopedia
Arcadia Publishing is an American
publisher
of local history
.
in 1993 by United Kingdom
-based Tempus Publishing
, but became independent in 2004.
The corporate office is in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
with other offices in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
; Chicago
; and San Francisco, California
.
Its formula for regional publishing is to use local writer
s or historian
s to write about their community using 180 to 240 black-and-white
photograph
s with captions and introductory paragraphs in a 128 page book. The Images of America series is the company's largest product line.
Other series include Images of Rail, Images of Sports, Images of Baseball, Black America, Postcard History, Campus History, Corporate History, and Then & Now.
It has a catalog of more than 5,000 titles in print and hundreds of new titles released every year.
The books are printed in the United States. It handles its own sales and distribution with the following each accounting for one-third of the company's sales:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
of local history
Local history
Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context and it often concentrates on the local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history...
.
History
It was founded in Dover, New HampshireDover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
in 1993 by United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based Tempus Publishing
Tempus Publishing
Tempus Publishing was an England-based publishing company. It was founded in 1993, as The Chalford Publishing Company, by Alan Sutton and others. Tempus were part of the Nonsuch Publishing Group. Tempus mainly published history books and had bases in Germany, France, Belgium and the United States...
, but became independent in 2004.
The corporate office is in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Mount Pleasant is a large affluent suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. It is a member of the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area, for statistical purpose only, as designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget....
with other offices in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
; Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; and San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Its formula for regional publishing is to use local writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s or historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s to write about their community using 180 to 240 black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s with captions and introductory paragraphs in a 128 page book. The Images of America series is the company's largest product line.
Other series include Images of Rail, Images of Sports, Images of Baseball, Black America, Postcard History, Campus History, Corporate History, and Then & Now.
It has a catalog of more than 5,000 titles in print and hundreds of new titles released every year.
The books are printed in the United States. It handles its own sales and distribution with the following each accounting for one-third of the company's sales:
- BookstoreBooksellingBookselling is the commercial trading of books, the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers or bookmen.-Bookstores today:...
chainsChain storeChain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses... - Independent bookstoreIndependent bookstoreAn independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
s, librariesLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, museumMuseumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s - Nontraditional outlets - historical societiesHistorical societyA historical society is an organization that collects, researches, interprets and preserves information or items of historical interest. Generally, a historical society focuses on a specific geographical area, such as a county or town or subject, such as aviation or rail. Many historical...
, hardware storeHardware storeHardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
s